


It's That Easy

by BattlingBard



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Anger, Angry Kara Danvers, Angst, Based on a Tumblr Post, Cupcakes, Drunk Lena Luthor, F/F, Feelings, Fluff, Happy Ending, Heartbreak, Hurt Kara Danvers, Lena Luthor-centric, Tumblr, Tumblr Prompt, instead of going to talk about Jack, sorry in advance, takes place pre 2x18
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-04
Updated: 2017-07-18
Packaged: 2018-11-08 18:38:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11087598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BattlingBard/pseuds/BattlingBard
Summary: Lena seeks advice from her best friend.Was sent a prompt to write a fic based on this post: https://catarinaelibeth.tumblr.com/post/161404464125





	1. Chapter 1

Kara watches the bakers on the television craft different flavors of cupcakes with a clock counting down before them. "Sure," she says to the empty apartment, "they make it look so easy." She crosses her arms as she sits on her couch. After a few moments, she begins to sniff the air. Her eyes go wide. "Crap!" Hopping off the couch, she rushes the few steps to her kitchen. She tugs open the oven door and reaches in with her bare hands to pull out a tray of cupcakes. "Well... they don't look bad." Her eyes go back and forth from the television to her cupcakes a few times. "They could still taste good?" She winces at the cupcakes bordering on burnt status.

With a shrug of her shoulders, she places the tray on the kitchen island to cool. She grabs the bowl of frosting from the refrigerator and sets it beside the cupcakes. Pursing her lips, she contemplates whether or not she should taste the cupcakes. Deciding against tasting for now, she turns to go back to her couch. On her way, she scoops a finger into the frosting and brings it to her lips. Her eyebrows raise in appreciation, and she walks back the few steps to the bowl to scoop a larger amount onto her finger. Just as her lips close around her finger, there's a knock on the door. Her eyes go wide as they turn to the door. 

She quickly removes the frosting from her finger as she rushes to the door. Before opening the door, she wipes her finger on the apron around her waist. With a brief glance to check on the state of cleanliness of her apartment, Kara opens the door.

“Lena!” A bright smile appears on Kara’s face. “What brings you to the rent-controlled side of town?” She steps back as she opens the door wider to allow Lena to walk inside of the studio apartment.

A tight-lipped smile grows on Lena’s face that doesn’t quite meet her eyes. Lena bites her lip as she walks past Kara, who closes the door behind her. Without turning to look at Kara, Lena takes in the baking show on the television and obvious signs of baking happening in the kitchen. “Are you grief baking?” She finally turns to look at Kara with concern written on her face.

“What?” Kara asks innocently. “No, of course not.” 

Lena looks down at the apron Kara is wearing before bringing her eyes back up to meet Kara’s with one eyebrow raised elegantly. “Liar.”

Kara hurries to take the apron off at a human speed and walks over to place it on the counter by the stove. “Being unemployed is not fun anymore.” She turns toward Lena and leans her back against the counter.

Lena walks the few steps to the kitchen island to sit on a stool. “Still no luck?”

Shaking her head, Kara adjusts her glasses. “Not yet.”

“You know, I could-”

“No. No. It’s fine. Really. We’ve talked about this.” Kara smiles at Lena to remove any sting from the words. Nodding slowly, Lena pulls her eyes away from Kara to look at the cupcakes. “I, um, may have left them in the oven a little too long.” Kara winces as she glances at the cupcakes.

“I’m sure they taste fine.” Lena turns her gaze back to Kara with a reassuring smile.

“I think you have too much faith in me,” Kara says playfully.

“Not possible,” Lena says without hesitation.

“Wait. Is everything okay?” The genuine concern is more than evident in Kara’s voice.

“Y-yeah, no, I- uh, absolutely. I-I just…” Kara raises her eyes as her jaw falls slightly, and she pushes off of the counter to lean on the kitchen island as she sits on a stool opposite her friend. Lena opens her mouth to continue her rambling to deny anything being wrong, but lets out a sigh instead. She looks down as she wrings her fingers together with her forearms resting on the counter top. 

“Okay.” Kara grabs two butter knives from the drawer behind her and set them on the counter space between her and Lena. She ignores the questioning glance Lena throws at her as she pulls the cupcakes and frosting closer to them. “We’re going to drown these cupcakes in this amazing chocolate frosting.” She picks up one of the cupcakes and sets it down in front of Lena before grabbing one for herself. “And you can tell me what’s going on.” After handing one of the butter knives to Lena, she adds, “If you want to, of course. You know I’m here for you.”

Biting her lip, Lena twists the butter knife in her fingers. Kara gives her the space and time to think by scooping some frosting onto her butter knife to place onto her cupcake. She sees Lena nod slightly to herself in her peripheral vision. “Thank you, Kara.”

Kara beams up at Lena. “Of course, Lena. That’s what friends are for.”

Lena looks down again with a furrow to her eyebrows. “I, uh, wanted to ask your… advice on something.” She sets the butter knife on the counter and takes a deep breath.

“I’m all ears.” Kara puts her cupcake down and turns her full attention to her best friend.

“H-have you ever had feelings for someone, but didn’t know how they felt?”

“Oh.” Kara raises her eyebrows. “Um, yes, I have.”

“This is kind of new to me. I don’t know what to say to her… or if I should even bother saying anything because she’s… There’s just no way she would be interested.”

Kara’s signature crinkle appears on her forehead. “Lena, you’re amazing. I don’t see why she wouldn’t be interested.”

“Oh, I’m sure there are many reasons why she wouldn’t be interested. I don’t even know if she is attracted to woman.”

With a tilt of her head, Kara looks intently at Lena. “Just tell her how you feel.”

Lena’s head slumps down as her shoulders hunch. Her eyebrows furrow together in worry. “What if she doesn’t feel the same way?”

“Of course she will, Lena.” She smiles at Lena, who returns a small grin. “Would having a relationship with her be worth having to talk to her about your feelings?”

Biting her lip, Lena gazes into Kara’s eyes. “It would be worth anything.”

“Then okay.” Kara perks up as she sits straighter on her stool. “I think telling her would be best.”

“I don’t know, Kara.” Lena looks uncertain.

“Just practice on me.” Kara smiles reassuringly. 

“Okay…” A smile slowly grows on Lena’s face as she talks. “You’re everything to me,” she says as the smile on her face gets larger, “and your smile brightens my whole day.” She lets out a sigh as her smile spreads to show her dimples. “I love you,” she breathes out as her eyes never leave Kara’s.

Kara smiles brightly. “See!” She starts to use her hands as she speaks. “It’s that easy.” One hand rests on top of Lena’s hands that are clasped together on the counter top. “Now go tell her.” Her smile is full of reassurance and hope.

A few moments go by as Lena seems to search for something in Kara’s eyes. “I just did.” Her smile is small and shy. Kara freezes as her eyes go wide, and she merely looks at Lena in silence. Her mouth opens and closes a few times. Lena pulls her hands away from Kara’s and into her lap. Her back straightens, and the smile disappears from her face. “I-I just remembered that I have a meeting.”

Lena standing up from the stool breaks Kara from her shock. “No, Lena. Wait.” Kara stands up from her stool. Pausing before her hand can grab the doorknob, Lena debates whether or not she should look back at Kara. When Lena looks over her shoulder, the hurt is evident on her face. “Please don’t go,” Kara begs.

“Forget I said anything, Kara.” Her voice is colder than it has ever been directed toward Kara.

“No, Lena, I… Sorry. I just didn’t expect… that.”

“Clearly.” Lena opens the door.

Kara rushes to stand behind Lena and rests on hand on her shoulder. “I-I have a, uh, a boyfriend.”

Lena refuses to look back at Kara. “You don’t have to explain yourself. Please, excuse me.” She slips from Kara’s grasp and leaves the apartment, closing the door behind herself.

The hand that was on Lena’s shoulder moves out to touch the door. She feels a stinging pain in her eyes before a lone tear tracks down her cheek. “What have I done?” She whispers into the apartment that suddenly feels emptier than it ever has before. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many of you and Lena asked for another chapter.

Lena slides into the driver’s seat of her car outside of Kara’s apartment, feeling beyond grateful that she decided to drive herself there. She wouldn’t want to go through the embarrassment of having to call her driver to come pick her up barely five minutes after dropping her off at the apartment complex. Her hands grip the steering wheel until her knuckles turn white.

“Fuck,” she spits out under her breath. “You idiot.” Throwing the car in reverse, she sets herself to leave Kara’s apartment for the last time.

Without conscious thought, she drives straight to L-Corp. Her car finds its way into her designated parking spot. She rests her head against the headrest as she takes a few steadying breaths. With a steely mask upon her face, she exits her car and walks straight into L-Corp with her chin held high. 

She doesn’t stop her steady pace until the door to her office closes firmly behind her. Her feet begin to feel heavy, causing her steps to stagger. Instead of going to her desk, she heads straight to her drink cart, where she pours a double of her strongest scotch. She downs the drink in one go, and refills the glass before going to her desk. Slumping into her chair, she opens her laptop. After 15 minutes of failing to focus, she slams it shut and stands from the chair. “Fuck it.” Lena calls her secretary on her intercom. “Jess, change of plans. I will be attending that meeting after all. I want to leave in 10 minutes.”

“Yes, Miss Luthor.”

Lena walks to the far end of her office to open a near hidden door. The door leads to an en suite that doubles as Lena’s emergency closet. In an attempt to keep the fogginess from taking over her senses, she washes her face and restyles her hair. Once feeling outwardly refreshed, she picks up a messenger bag and throws it over her shoulder. The door slides closed behind her as she saunters to the door of her office. She pauses at the door for a moment and purses her lips in thought. After a moment, she reaches into her purse to pull out her personal cell phone. She leaves it on a shelf before walking out of the office. 

Jess makes no comment when Lena walks past her desk to the elevator. When Lena steps out onto the rooftop, the helicopter pilot is finishing up preparations. With her stony, CEO facade, she walks to the helicopter. 

She’s so disconnected from her emotions by the time they take off, she can’t even feel anxious about the flight. In a blur, Lena is off the helicopter and boarding a private jet. She drinks until she passes out on the flight. The alarm on her tablet wakes her 30 minutes before it’s time to land in London. She climbs into the waiting car that takes her to a hotel. Tossing her bag on the bed once she’s in her room, she turns her attention to the bar. 

Her alarm pricks at her ringing ears. With a groan, she rolls over in the bed to turn it off. When she arrives at her meeting that afternoon, there is not a single trace of the previous night’s inebriation. Like a true Luthor, she is poised and ready for anything as the powerful CEO of a multi-billion dollar company.

The next three days are spent in and out of meetings. When she is not in meetings, she is tucked away in her hotel room. Each day, more papers are strewn about the large table she has commandeered as a desk. She has spent every sober minute focused on various projects and designs. When she can no longer hold her eyes open, she downs a glass of something hard and falls into bed, so she can start all over the next day.

It’s been four days since she walked out of Kara’s apartment. 

Since she finally laid her feelings out for her best friend.

Since she was shot down.

Since she discovered she wasn’t even close enough to Kara to know she has a boyfriend.

Since she accepted she simply isn’t someone that can be loved.

She only has one meeting today. After the late morning meeting, she goes straight back to her hotel. They will not be convening again until tomorrow afternoon, giving everyone time to look over the final documents. She heard a few people talking about a little preemptive celebrating with their loved ones. Lena stops to buy two bottles of wine on her way back to the hotel. 

Her heels are kicked off just inside of the door, and she tosses the portfolios in her arms onto the makeshift desk. A bright flash of light bursts through the cracks around the curtain over the balcony door. Several seconds later, a clap of thunder reaches Lena’s ears. “Of course.” Lena sighs as she pours a glass of wine. She holds it up in a toast toward the balcony. “Thank you, London, for accurately reflecting my mood.” She takes a healthy sip of the wine. Plopping into the chair at the table, she flips open one of the documents she needs to review. As the rain gets louder past the curtains covering the French doors, Lena’s focus wavers. Standing up to refill her glass, she decides to see if the television will provide a distraction. A news channel flashes to life on the screen. To Lena’s surprise, the National City skyline appears on the television. Jess has called her business cell phone twice a day, per Lena’s instructions, to keep her updated. She hasn’t reported anything happening to L-Corp, but Lena can’t help but feel there’s a possibility of her company being the cause of National City appearing on a British news channel. What else would make international news in National City than the resident Luthor?

She tosses the remote on the table as she listens to the voice of a news anchor explaining where National City is to the British viewers. Old footage of Supergirl appears on the screen, and Lena sinks into an armchair, curious as to where this is going. She doesn’t necessarily consider Supergirl a friend, but they certainly have grown beyond acquaintances or even colleagues. Lately, Lena had been noticing a softness in their interactions. Supergirl seemed to genuinely be concerned for her after she was pushed off of her balcony. If it weren’t for the Cadmus drama happening, Lena may have even suggested they spend time together. In all honesty though, Kara was also a major reason she didn’t pursue her attraction to the hero. 

Kara…

Lena drinks the contents of her glass in a matter of seconds. The news anchor finishes the quick biography of Supergirl, and the tone of voice changes. An air of concern and confusion overtakes the broadcast. 

“Here is a video taken in National City that was sent into local CatCo magazine.” A video taken on a cell phone begins playing on the screen. “This was taken three days ago, and various publications are questioning if this is the beginning of a possible downfall of Supergirl.” In the video, a purple-skinned alien picks up Supergirl and throws her through the wall of an abandoned building. The person holding the phone is recording from a window several stories up in a building across the street from the action. Supergirl stumbles out of the building before flying into the alien. The alien goes back a few yards before landing its own blow on Supergirl, who falls back again. Before Supergirl can get back up, the alien pounces on her and begins punching her. “For those that know of the Supers, they are considered the strongest beings on Earth, which makes it hard to believe this alien overtook Supergirl with strength. Looking closely, Supergirl doesn’t appear to be fighting back. Fortunately, backup arrived. Look there. One shot from some sort of gun sent the alien flying back off of Supergirl. It’s hard to believe whatever gun the woman with short hair just fired is stronger than the Girl of Steel.”

Lena watches Supergirl appear to struggle to stand before the video cuts off. Several shorts clips are shown, and Supergirl appears to struggle more and more in each one. “We will now go to a live feed from National City.” A gasp escapes Lena when she sees her own building appear on the television before a video plays. “Just down the street from tech company, L-Corp....” The words wash over Lena as she watches a familiar face appear on the television. Her mother’s cyborg is leading several other enhanced people on an attempt to get to her building. Supergirl lands roughly in their path, blocking their way to her company. Lena has never seen the hero so… enraged. She barely recognizes her. 

Her heart is hammering in her ears as she watches Supergirl let out a heart-wrenching scream before flying straight at the cyborg. The cyborg slides backward on the ground, and the two other goons attack Supergirl. She’s thrown off of them. When the camera finds her face again, it’s full of a cold anger, sending a chill down Lena’s spine. Without warning, the hero sets off at a speed the camera can’t follow. The two goons disappear from view seconds before Supergirl is standing across from the cyborg again. 

Supergirl yells something at the cyborg, who only scowls in response before shooting his laser vision at her. She shoots hers faster, hitting his half mask. He steps back in pain, and Supergirl takes advantage of his stumble. She lands a right hook to his jaw before a right front kick sends him landing onto his back. Lena can just see that Supergirl is yelling at him again. The hurt is evident on her face, and she wonders what could possibly be causing such pain in the hero. 

Vans arrive on the scene, but Supergirl continues to throw blow after blow at the cyborg. The camera zooms out to show agents coming out of the vans. Several take the unconscious goons into custody, while others approach Supergirl and the cyborg. A woman wearing some metal armor is leading the group going toward the battle. They stop a few feet away from where Supergirl now has the cyborg on the ground. The woman in armor appears to be yelling at Supergirl, who continues to hit the cyborg.

The woman lifts a hand to her ear to what Lena assumes must be a communication device. She turns back to Supergirl and shouts something at her. The reaction is instantaneous.  Supergirl freezes with a fist poised to throw another punch. The woman says something else. One second Supergirl is in the center of the screen, and she’s completely gone the next. Lena blinks in surprise, unsure what to think of what she just witnessed. She ignores the television as she sits back in the arm chair. Absently, she takes a sip of her wine. 

Since the attack did not reach L-Corp and happened before Jess arrives at work, she believes it will be at least an hour before she’ll receive a call from her secretary. Her thoughts turn to Supergirl, a welcome distraction from Kara.

What could possibly be upsetting the indestructible alien so much?

Feeling a layer of cloudiness, she opts to take a break from the wine. Carefully standing, she places her empty wine glass next to the two bottles - one is empty already. After drinking half a bottle of water, she thinks some fresh air would be wise. Her balcony has a slight overhang over the door, so the rain should not get inside of the room. She places a hand on each handle of the doors and pulls them toward her. 

A gasp escapes her lips, and her eyes go wide. Her hands fall from the doors, and the wind pushes them wide open. Standing in the center of her balcony is a soaked Supergirl. Her hair is plastered down to the sides of her face, and she doesn’t seem to even notice the rain pelting her. Lena thought she looked upset on the television screen, but that was nothing compared to seeing her standing several feet in front of her. She looks… broken.

Her eyes meet the hero’s. “Supergirl, what-”

“I’m so sorry.” The hero’s voice sounds like she is barely holding back tears.

Lena blinks in confusion. “For what?”

The hero looks down, and Lena watches her take a deep breath. She’s fidgeting with something in her hands. Lena waits patiently. Keeping her head down, Supergirl brings her hands to her face. The breath escapes Lena’s lungs when she sees what the hero is doing. Supergirl drops her hands to her sides and takes one more deep breath before looking right up into Lena’s eyes. 

“Kara?” Lena’s voice is a shocked whisper, and a hand comes to her mouth as her eyes go wide.

“Me too.” Kara’s voice shakes with vulnerability.

“I- K- Kara- Y-you-” Too many thoughts are swirling around Lena’s mind, fighting for attention.

“I love you, too.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara's point of view.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whisper85, all of the begging worked.

Lena refuses to look back at Kara. “You don’t have to explain yourself. Please, excuse me.” She slips from Kara’s grasp and leaves the apartment, closing the door behind herself.

The hand that was on Lena’s shoulder moves out to touch the door. She feels a stinging pain in her eyes before a lone tear tracks down her cheek. “What have I done?” She whispers into the apartment that suddenly feels emptier than it ever has before.

Resting her forehead against the door, Kara listens to Lena’s retreating footsteps. When she hears Lena’s engine escape down the road, she turns to lean back against the door. She takes a deep breath, looking at the cupcakes on the counter. Shaking her head, she pushes off the door and trudges to the couch. She sinks into the cushions and pulls a blanket over her lap before picking up the remote.

She keeps herself from reaching out to Lena by reminding herself that Lena probably wants space. She wouldn’t have walked out if she was willing to talk. The only light on in the apartment is the television.

The sky darkens outside her windows by the time her door opens. “Hey, Kara!”

Kara doesn’t stir from the position she has been in since sitting down on the couch.

Mon-El turns on the kitchen light. “You made cupcakes?” He excitedly retrieves one. “Is something wrong with the frosting?” He inspects the bowl of frosting before dipping a finger in to taste some. After scooping some onto the cupcake, he takes a large bite. “Kara?” He looks over at her. After swallowing his bite, he walks toward the couch. “Are you asleep?”

“No.” Kara doesn’t take her eyes off of the television.

“Um, are you okay?” Kara doesn’t answer him. “Is this about the job thing?”

Kara sighs, but doesn’t look at him. “I’m just really tired.”

“Oh. Okay. These cupcakes are pretty good by the way.”

“Thanks,” Kara mumbles.

“Do you want to watch a movie or something?”

“Actually, I’m just going to go to sleep.” Kara slowly disentangles herself from the blanket. She disappears into the bathroom and comes out seconds later in her pajamas.

Mon-El finishes his cupcake and wipes his hands off before changing as well. Kara’s eyes are closed, and she’s facing away from him when he goes to lay down. “Good night, Kara.”

* * *

Kara feels the sun on her skin, but she keeps her eyes closed. When she hears Mon-El moving around, she opens her eyes to see him walking toward her in confusion. “What are you doing out here?”

Tugging the blanket closer to her chin, Kara relaxes further into the couch cushions. “I couldn’t sleep, so I came out here. Must have fallen asleep.”

“Oh.” Mon-El doesn’t seem convinced, but he just shrugs his shoulders. “I’m heading into the DEO this morning. You coming?”

“I’ll go later.”

“Okay then.”

* * *

Kara stares at her supersuit. She’s sitting on her bed with her knees tucked under her chin, and her suit laying on the bed in front of her. Lena hasn’t reached out to her at all. Kara sent her a text this morning to let the younger woman know that she’s here for her. Making a decision, Kara is flying out of her window in a blur. Her boots land on the balcony of Lena’s office.

Lena’s empty office.

She scans the entire building, looking for Lena.

Another text is sent to Lena’s phone.

Supergirl takes off from the L-Corp balcony and goes straight to the DEO. Just like yesterday morning, there is nothing requiring Supergirl’s attention. With a frustrated sigh, she goes down to find concrete blocks to take out her frustrations on in the training room.

“Mon-El is up there telling everyone you’re upset about losing your job.”

Kara turns to see her sister leaning against railing of the stairs. She pivots to throw one last hook that disintegrates the concrete block. Turning, she brushes off some dust from her pants before going to sit on a bench against the wall. “You here to try to tell me to accept J’onn’s offer?”

“Nope.” Alex sits next to Kara. “I’m here as your big sister to find out what’s really bothering you.”

Looking up at her sister, Kara blinks in surprise.

“Kara, I know you better than anybody else. You can tell me what’s bothering you, or we can go do some sparring to really get out that aggression.”

Kara looks down and adjusts her glasses. “When… Did Vicki Donahue know about your feelings?”

“Um.” Alex’s eyebrows scrunch together. “No. I’m sure she didn’t. I wasn’t really sure myself. I don’t think so.” Kara nods slowly. “Where did that question come from?” Alex keeps her tone welcoming.

“Um.” Kara purses her lips. “Just… What do you think would have happened if you told her about your feelings?”

Alex looks down at her lap as she twists her fingers together. “I don’t know. I can’t even imagine myself telling her. It’s… one thing telling a boy you like him, but telling a girl… I was terrified to tell Maggie, and I knew she’s gay. I don’t know. I would have to have some very strong feelings to be able to tell a woman without knowing if she’s gay or not.”

“Why?”

Leaning back against the wall, Alex looks at her sister. “I don’t have the best track record at being friends with someone I have feelings for. It was so much harder trying to be friends with Maggie than Vicki. At least Vicki didn’t know.”

Kara purses her lips and looks away for a moment. “But you two made it work.”

Alex shrugs. “It helps that she has feelings for me, too.” Kara sits in silence. “What’s brought all of this on, Kara?”

Kara bites her lip and looks down at her lap. Alex waits patiently. “I’ve had friends like me before… You know that.” Alex nods in silent encouragement for Kara to continue. “It feels different this time.”

“This isn’t about Mon-El, is it?”

“No,” Kara whispers. “I don’t even know what to think. I haven’t been able to get in touch with my feelings since she told me.”

Alex’s eyebrows raise. “What happened?”

Kara swallows heavily. “I didn’t even realize I hadn’t told her I was dating someone. It… I guess it never came up before. Maybe things would be different if I had told her.”

“Who?”

She’s starts talking faster. “But that probably wouldn’t have made her feelings any less valid, but maybe she wouldn’t have told me. What was I supposed to say? It was a complete shock.”

“Kara. Why don’t you start from the beginning?”

Kara starts from the beginning. She is able to recount every word after replaying it in her head for the past 24 hours. “My mind just… went blank when she said that.”

“And what’s on your mind now?”

“I’m worried.”

“Kara, this is a rough place for her to be in. I’ve been there. Just because she’s not answering doesn’t mean there’s something wrong.”

“I’m not worried that something bad happened. I’m worried I lost my best friend. Why couldn’t I just think of something to say? She just… left.”

“Looking back now, do you really think there’s anything you could have said?”

“I don’t know.” They sit in silence for a moment. “What if she’s gone forever?”

“She has a company to run. Wherever she ran off to, she will have to come back.”

“What do I say to her when she does come back? What if she doesn’t want to talk to me?”

“Take it one step at a time, Kara. For now, I think you have to sort out your own thoughts before you can figure out how to say them to her.”

Kara nods. “You’re right.”

* * *

“Isn’t this kind of… stalking?” Mon-El asks from behind Kara.

Kara crosses her arms, ignoring Mon-El to talk to Winn. “Please, Winn? I just want to make sure she hasn’t been kidnapped again or something. You can trace her phone in seconds with your eyes closed. Please?”

Winn’s eyes dart to Mon-El a moment before he nods. “Fine.” He spins his chair around to face his computer. “Looks like you’re worried about nothing. She’s at L-Corp.”

Kara starts walking away from them. “Wait,” Mon-El calls after her. “What are you doing?”

“I’m going to check if she’s okay… as Supergirl.”

“Why are you so worried about her? Did something happen?”

“No. I’m just… worried… about my best friend.”

“I don’t understand why you just can’t call her.”

Kara huffs and turns to face Mon-El. “Because she’s not answering her phone. Just… stay here. I’ll be back.”

* * *

“You really need to just take a step back and calm down.” Mon-El is standing in the kitchen while Kara paces around her apartment.

“You don’t understand. They wouldn’t even let me past security. Then I spend 20 minutes on hold until Jess finally picks up only to tell me that Lena left specific instructions to not tell me where she went!” Kara puts her hands on her hips to glare at Mon-El.

“Kara, maybe you’re taking this too personally.” Mon-El walks up to her and tries to put his arms on her shoulders, but she pushes him away.

“And you’re not taking this seriously.” She turns to take a few steps away before facing Mon-El again. “Not everyone can just move on when someone tries to step out of their lives.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Mon-El crosses his arms.

“I don’t just claim to love someone and then go back on that at the first sign of problems.”

“Is this about that thing with Eve? It was one date, Kara! And you told me to move on!” Mon-El begins to raise his voice.

“That’s just one example, Mon-El!” Kara raises her voice as well. “You keep showing that you’re getting better, but then you go and say something to prove otherwise!”

“What?”

“You can’t just care about one person and claim to be a better person! I am not your redemption for your past mistakes. If you really want to show that you’ve changed, maybe try showing a little compassion for others and their feelings.”

Mon-El brings his hands to his head in exasperation. “What are we even talking about here? I’m not the one that abandoned you for no reason. That was Lena, remember?”

Kara’s body goes stiff, and she glares at Mon-El. “What would you know about her reasons?”

Shaking his head, Mon-El puts his fists on his hips. “This is just like Jeremiah all over again.”

“Get out,” Kara says in a calm voice.

“Kara, what -”

“Get. Out.”

* * *

Kara opens the door to her apartment, and Alex walks in without a word. Alex sets a box of donuts on the kitchen island while Kara closes the door. The silence grows awkward until Alex turns to face Kara. “Mon-El stayed the night at the DEO. Wanna talk about it?”

Alex listens to everything Kara says. “At least you know Lena wasn’t kidnapped, right?”

Kara shrugs as she takes another bite of her donut, sinking further into the couch. “I guess.”

“Are you going to talk to Mon-El?”

“I probably should.”

“Do you know what you’re going to say?”

Kara sighs. “I don’t even know what I feel.”

“You didn’t say anything that was a lie.”

“I know,” Kara whispers.

* * *

Before Kara can consider what to say to Mon-El, Supergirl is needed to fight a purple-skinned alien. After the alien is in custody, Alex directs Supergirl out of view from the cameras and curious eyes. “Are you okay? Did he have kryptonite or something?” Alex checks over her sister for injuries.

“No. I was just… not at my best.”

“I’ll meet you back at the DEO. Okay?”

* * *

“There you are.” Mon-El walks up to Kara at the DEO.

“Here I am.”

“What happened out there? I caught the end of that fight.”

“I’m fine.” Kara continues walking, but Mon-El falls into step with her.

“You could have been killed.  I thought you were done being the stubborn Kryptonian. Why didn’t you call me for help?”

“I am fine, Mon-El.” Kara grits her teeth.

“That’s not what I asked. Is this about our fight? Look, I know -”

“This isn’t about you.” There’s a bite to Kara’s words.

“Oh, let me guess… It’s about Lena?”

Kara stops walking and whirls to face Mon-El, jabbing a finger into his chest. “You don’t get to talk about her.”

“Why? Because she was just pretending to be your friend before leaving you? You get your butt kicked in a fight and get mad at me for caring about you, and now I’m the bad guy?”

“I never said you were the bad guy!”

“You didn’t have to!”

They are yelling at each other now. “Why do you always have to make everything about you?”

“This isn’t about me, Kara. This is about us.” He gestures between them. “I thought we were past your Kryptonian pride.”

“Funny. I thought we were past you being a selfish Daxamite that made everything about you!”

“Eventually, you’ll see that Lena isn’t your friend just like James has been saying.”

“You know what…” Kara throws her hands up in frustration. “I’m done. We’re done. For real this time. I can’t do this anymore. Call your mother. You can tell her I’m not a problem anymore.” She turns and walks off.

“Kara, wait. You can’t just -”

“I can.” She stops to look over her shoulder. “Just give me some space Mon-El. Don’t turn this into something.” She flies off without another word.

* * *

Each fight Supergirl gets in for the rest of the day gets worse. Supergirl appears to be fighting back less and less, and Guardian is taking on more cases.

Alex shows up at her sister’s apartment again the next morning, and Kara tells her everything. “It’s really over this time. I just… can’t see a future there.”

“You said before it wasn’t a match. I shouldn’t have pushed you toward him. I just… wanted you to be happy, Kara.”

“I know, and I love you for that. I don’t blame you.”

“Still no word from Lena?”

Kara shakes her head. “I don’t even know where she is. There hasn’t been the slightest piece of news on her.”

“Kara… I’m going to ask you something, and I want you to really think about it. You don’t have to answer me, but you should figure out the answer for yourself.” She waits until she has Kara’s eyes on her. “Do you think the feelings you felt for Mon-El may have been a projection of feelings you have for another friend?”

Looking down at her lap, Kara fidgets with her hands. “That’s… something to think about.”

“Take your time, Kara.”

* * *

Supergirl isn’t seen for 24 hours.

When she finally reappears, she is landing hard enough to create several cracks in the pavement down the street from L-Corp. Her landing blocks the path of three Cadmus cyborgs.

Anger is radiating off of the superhero.

“Filthy alien,” Hank Henshaw growls out. “I’ll make sure Lena gets a front row seat when I finally get to cut you open.”

“You’ll have to kill me before you can get to her!” Supergirl yells at the cyborg before letting out a scream and flying straight toward him. Hank Henshaw slides backward on the ground before his two goons help throw her off of him. Supergirl stares at the three cyborgs, panting with her eyes glowing red. Suddenly, she’s no longer standing there. She flies in a barely seen blur, landing a knockout punch on both of Henshaw’s backup cyborgs. In less than three seconds, they are deposited in front of a police car.

Standing across from Hank Henshaw, Supergirl balls her hands into fists at her sides. “It’s over, Henshaw!” With a scowl, Henshaw begins to shoot his laser vision at Supergirl. Supergirl’s heat vision hits Henshaw before his can leave his eye. His mask flies off his face, and he howls in pain, bringing a hand to his face. She doesn’t give him even a second to recover before she is delivering blows.

“Give it up!” A front kick sends the cyborg flying onto his back. “Lena will never join Cadmus!” Her voice is harsh from the yelling. “I won’t let you anywhere near her as long as I’m alive!” She continues to hit him even when she hears DEO agents arriving.

She ignores the agents rushing toward her and stopping a few feet away.

She ignores her sister yelling at her while wearing the kryptonite suit.

She ignores the weapons facing her.

“Supergirl, stop!”

The hero screams to drown out her sister’s pleas for her to stop.

“He’s done. We can take him in now!”

Supergirl tenses her jaw, pulling back her fist as her other hand is balled in the front of Henshaw’s shirt. “You’ve hurt her enough!” Her voice is a growl.

“Supergirl! Winn found her!” Alex shouts.

With her entire body freezing, Supergirl takes in Alex’s words. Her fist is in the air, ready to strike Henshaw again.

“London! Winn is sending you details now!”

Supergirl blinks before releasing Henshaw and taking off into the sky at a dangerous speed for a populated area. She doesn’t respond when Winn relays the address and room number to her.

When she gets to London, she goes too fast for the rain to dampen her. She doesn’t slow down until she sees the hotel. Stopping to hover in front of it, she x-rays the building to find Lena’s room. She blinks the rain out of her eyes, suddenly frozen in place. In a daze, she floats to the balcony of Lena’s suite. Her boots land without a sound.

She spent the past 24 hours in a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions.

Alex was her rock.

Kara spent hours just talking to her sister.

She apologized to Mon-El.

Mon-El apologized in return.

She watched him fly away in the pod he landed in all those months ago.

Kara still didn’t know what to say to Lena.

She lost connection to her thoughts whenever Lena came up.

Now, she’s standing on Lena’s balcony, gripping her glasses in her hand. She can’t feel the rain. The only thing she is aware of is the sound of Lena’s heart beart. She holds her breath as it comes closer.

She lets out the breath when the doors open, and she finally sees her.

“Supergirl, what -”

“I’m so sorry.” She finally knows the answer to Alex’s question.

“For what?”

The glasses feel heavy in her hands as she looks down at them. She puts them on before taking a deep breath and finally meeting those eyes behind the glass she usually sees them through.

“Kara?” Lena heartbroken look changes into confusion and hurt.

“Me too.” Kara knows it’s true now.

“I- K- Kara- Y-you-”

“I love you, too.” It’s the first time Kara has ever said it to anyone romantically, and she hopes it’s the last first time.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise.

“I- K- Kara- Y-you-” Too many thoughts are swirling around Lena’s mind, fighting for attention.

“I love you, too.” It’s the first time Kara has ever said it to anyone romantically, and she hopes it’s the last first time.

Lena stares at Supergirl… at Kara… at her best friend. She opens her mouth to speak, but all coherency has left her mind. Kara… Supergirl is standing in front of her, on her hotel balcony, with rain dripping down her cape. She stares at Supergirl’s… Kara’s face. Kara is right there… behind a pair of glasses… staring right back at Lena. She doesn’t know how much time passes before she finally is able to think again. She sucks in a shaky breath, swallowing the lump forming in her throat. “You’re wet.” She internally berates herself at stating the obvious when so many more significant thoughts are fighting for attention in her mind.

Kara lets out a relieved gasp somewhere between a laugh and a sob. Lena can barely hear it over the rain. “Lena, I -”

“Just... wait here.” Lena’s voice is a resigned whisper. She turns away from the balcony… away from Kara.

Unable to move if she wanted to, Kara remains still… waiting for Lena. She can’t bring herself to care about the rain hitting her body, fogging her glasses. All she can focus on is Lena’s heart beat betraying her calm exterior.

Lena takes deliberate steps toward the bathroom, keeping her eyes trained ahead of herself. She slows her movements when she gets to the bathroom, grabbing a towel and robe from the rack on the wall. Taking a deep breath, she only pauses for a moment before exiting the restroom. She doesn’t see a point to closing the door and taking a moment to collect herself when the person waiting for her can see through walls and hear every sound for miles.

Kara’s eyes remain unseeing until Lena returns to her field of vision behind the glasses. Lena looks different from when she was in her apartment four days ago, but Kara is sure she’s doesn’t quite look like herself right now either. She stays silent, waiting for Lena to break the tension.

Stopping at the threshold of the balcony, Lena runs her eyes over Kara’s face again. “Here.” Her eyes drop to her hands as she holds out the dry towel. “I’d rather not pay for water damage to the wood flooring, and the last thing I need is some lucky person capturing a picture of you right now dressed like that.” She tries to smile to remove any bite from the words, but she doesn’t quite succeed.

Slowly reaching for the towel, Kara nods without a word. She’s careful to avoid touching Lena’s hand. She takes a few steps forward when Lena releases the towel, bringing herself under the overhang of the balcony. She looks up at Lena, catching the movement of Lena turning sideways to no longer face Kara.

When Kara finishes drying her suit and running the towel over her hair, Lena holds out the robe to Kara, but doesn’t look at her. She turns away from the balcony when Kara takes the robe from her, walking toward the table in the room. Her hand hovers toward the glass of wine, but she chooses to pick up the water instead. After taking a sip, she partially faces Kara again. “Should I start, or would you like to?” She raises a single eyebrow at Kara, who blinks at her in confusion. “It defeats the purpose of getting dry if you stay on the balcony, don’t you think?” Yet again, she finds herself using harsher words than she intends.

Tugging the robe tighter around herself, Kara crosses the threshold. She wants to speak… She knows she should speak… She just can’t gain control of her thoughts enough to formulate words.

Lena takes a seat on one of the armchairs, and waves one hand toward the other chair. “Thirsty?” she asks before taking a sip of her water. She’s looking straight ahead, keeping Kara in her peripheral vision.

Kara shakes her head and slowly lowers herself into the opposite chair. She wrings her hands together in her lap, her eyes glued to her bootless feet in deference to their dampness. She clears her throat. “I… Do you…” She sighs heavily. “Lena, I’ve never done this before.”

They sit in silence for an endless moment. “Done… what exactly?”

“I don’t even know… This.” She waves a hand between the two of them before finally looking at Lena. “I’ve only ever told one person that I’m Supergirl,” she whispers, “but I’ve never…” She bites her lip in thought.

“I saw you on the news.” Her voice barely reaches her own ears.

“Oh.” Kara sounds so small.

“Why?” She doesn’t specify. She doesn’t have to.

“I… went looking for you. You weren’t answering your phone. When I couldn’t find you, things got…” She lets out a breath and looks at her hands. “It was like the time your mother kidnapped you, but… worse. I was so worried, and… it was all my fault.”

“It wasn’t your fault.”

Kara brings her head up to find Lena looking right at her. “Wasn’t it, though?”

“I make my own choices, Kara.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Did you mean it?”

Kara and Lena speak at the same time.

Lena shakes her head and sits up straighter. “Look, I- I have to know, Kara. I saw how… broken you looked earlier. You seemed so angry… Then you show up here.” She gestures toward the balcony and breaks eye contact with Kara, who keeps her eyes glued on Lena. “I just…” She takes in a slow breath and releases it. “What’s been going on?” When she turns back to Kara, there’s a determination to Lena’s expression.

It takes a considerable amount of willpower for Kara to keep her eyes on Lena’s. “Can we save the long version for another time?” Her shoulders slouch. “I- I spent the past four days looking for you… I had tell you.”

Suddenly, Lena stands and strides to the opposite side of the room. She turns to face Kara over her shoulder. “Why?”

Kara gapes in shock as her mouth tries to formulate a response. “I… You… I- I- What?”

With a huff, Lena fully faces Kara. “Why?” She takes two steps back toward Kara. “Why are you here?” She punctuates each word, staring right into Kara’s eyes. “What’s suddenly changed in four days?” She takes another two steps closer while Kara just stares in shock. “What possible explanation could you have for nearly getting yourself killed one moment and completely beating someone to the ground the next?” Lena steps closer again, and Kara’s eyes widen. “Why did my needing some space lead to everyone believing this to be the Girl of Steel’s downfall?” She is only a few feet from Kara now, getting louder as she gets closer. “Why did you think it appropriate to fly around the world and land on my balcony to say those three ridiculous words to me?” She takes another step. “Why didn’t you tell me about this?” In an impressively quick movement, Lena roughly tugs the front of the robe open to reveal the House of El crest. “Why -”

“Because I didn’t want to lose you!” Kara shouts as she stands in front of Lena, leaving little space between them. She’s breathing hard, keeping her eyes daringly locked on Lena’s. Lena staggers backward, but Kara is quick to grab her shoulders. In reaction, Lena’s hands come up to grip the front of the robe in her fists. “I can’t lose you, too, Lena.” Her voice drops to a pained whisper.

Lena’s breaths are coming fast, but she refuses to move her eyes away from Kara’s. Their breaths sync as they feel the tension build around them. The only movement and sounds coming from their breathing.

By some unknown signal, Lena’s grip tightens, and Kara’s hands tug Lena closer to her as their lips crash together. Kara’s hands tangle into Lena’s hair as they pull their bodies flush together, both sighing into the kiss. Tears hit both of their cheeks, and neither of them know whom exactly they come from.


	5. Chapter 5

Kara somehow pulls Lena closer, forcing Lena’s hands to no longer be in fists in the robe on Kara’s body. Lena’s hands press flat against Kara’s chest. The coldness of the suit breaks through the fog in Lena’s mind, clearing the way for conscious thoughts. She pushes her hands against Kara’s chest as she pulls back from the kiss. They are both breathing heavily.

Slowly, Lena opens her eyes. The first thing she sees is Kara’s face, but her eyes involuntarily drop to her own hands on the House of El crest. Pushing back, Lena breaks herself from Kara’s embrace. Kara stares at her with wide eyes, her chest rising and falling rapidly.

They stare at each other for a few moments, feeling a chasm in the few feet of space between them.

“I shouldn’t have done that.”

“I don’t know what I was thinking.”

Kara and Lena speak at the same time.

They freeze again.

Kara finds her voice after a moment, pushing her glasses up her nose. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have -”

“It wasn’t just you.”

It’s silent for a longer moment.

Lena takes a deep breath and brings a hand up to rub her forehead. She turns slightly away from Kara. “I - I don’t think I’m sober enough for this.”

“I should go.” Kara turns toward the door.

“No.”

“What?” Kara’s eyes find Lena’s in shock.

“Neither of us are in a proper place of mind to do anything right now. It’s almost 11 in the morning back home. From what I saw on the news, your sister must be furiously worried about you.”

“Oh.” Kara sounds and looks so small. Unconsciously, she tugs the robe tighter around her body.

Lena turns toward her makeshift desk, picking up her business phone. She takes a deep breath before turning back to Kara. “It’s a satellite phone. Call your sister.”

“What?” Kara automatically reaches out for the phone being held out to her.

“Let her know that you are alive.”

Kara’s eyebrows scrunch together. “But -”

“At least text her.” Lena’s tone holds no room for questioning. “Kara, no offense, but you don’t look so great right now. You don’t have a job to be at right now, so you can stay here until you are feeling better.”

Without a word, Kara relents and texts her sister. Alex’s response is immediate, and Kara gives Lena her phone back. Lena tosses the phone back onto the table. She blinks a few times when a wave of dizziness hits her. “Are you okay?” Kara asks, standing awkwardly in front of Lena.

“Like I said. I’m not sober enough for this.” Lena’s tone and grimace are self-deprecating. “I need to get out of these clothes.” She pulls out shorts and a t-shirt from her bag and places them on the table. “You can borrow those.” She begins walking toward the bathroom.

“Wait,” Kara says in mild confusion. Lena raises an eyebrow at her over her shoulder. “You want me to stay the night? Here?”

“Where else would you go, Kara?”

“Um.”

“Exactly. Change.” She disappears into the bathroom.

Kara stares at the clothes on the table for a moment before looking around at the room. She sees the empty wine bottle and papers littering the table. With a sigh she picks up the clothes.

Lena leans her back against the door once it’s closed. She lets out a shaky breath, and her legs give out under her, causing her to slide to the tile floor. With her head pressed back against the door, she closes her eyes.

When Lena comes out of the restroom, Kara is standing in the doorway of the balcony, watching the falling rain. “You changed,” Lena’s voice is soft and tired.

Kara doesn’t turn around. “You told me to.”

It’s silent for a moment. “If - if you don’t want to stay, you can leave. I was frustrated and -”

“I want to be here.”

Lena shuts her mouth with an audible click. She bites her lip, looking down at her fidgeting hands. “Do you want to skip over the awkward and pointless argument about who gets the bed only for us to end up sharing?”

Kara whirls around to face her with raised eyebrows. “Wh-what?”

Sighing, Lena walks to the bed and begins turning down the blanket. “It’s a king-sized bed, Kara. It’s more than large enough for us to have our own space.” She adjusts the pillows, refusing to look at Kara. “I may not be experienced at having best friends, but I know bed sharing is something not uncommon for them.” Finally, she looks up at Kara. “Unless you no longer consider us close enough for you to be comfortable around me.”

“Oh.” Kara rubs a hand down the front of the borrowed shirt she is wearing. She shakes her as she speaks. “No, I- I - You’re still my best friend.”

Lena nods once. “Very well.” She sighs, letting her fingertips brush over the pillow beneath her hand. “We do need to talk about…” She waves a hand vaguely between the two of them. “Whatever is going on between us. Or not going on.” She drops to sit on the bed, her back to Kara.

“Yeah… You’re right.” Kara shuffles on her feet, looking at Lena’s back. “Are you… mad about me being, um, and alien?”

Lena turns over her shoulder to look at Kara. There’s a pain in her eyes. “Is this where you want me to ask if you expect me to be upset because I’m a Luthor?”

“No!” Kara’s eyes are wide, and she rushes to sit beside Lena. She leaves a few feet of space between them. “I guess I’m really asking if you’re… Never mind.” She shakes her head in frustration.

Lena reaches across the canyon between them, placing a hand on Kara’s knee. “Kara, we wouldn’t be sharing a bed if I truly had an issue with your lineage.” She pats Kara’s knee before bringing her hand back to her own lap. “We’ll talk in the morning, okay?”

“Okay.” Kara nods.

“Lay down, Kara. You look like you could use the rest.” Lena scoots over to the other side of the bed, giving Kara more than enough space. She slides under the blanket, laying on her back.

After a moment, Kara lays down as far from Lena as possible. Lena reaches for the lamp and shuts off the light. “Goodnight, Lena,” Kara whispers into the darkness.

“Goodnight, Kara.”

* * *

Kara wakes from her first full night of sleep in several days to the smell of bacon and coffee. A disoriented moment passes before the events of the previous night flow into Kara’s mind. She rolls over to see Lena drinking coffee in one of the armchairs.

“What time is it?” Kara asks.

Lena slowly looks at Kara. “7:30.”

Kara jerks up to a sitting position. “I slept for over 12 hours?” She rubs a hand through her hair before picking up her glasses from the table next to her.

“You did.” Both of their voices are soft in the calm morning.

“How long have you been up?”

“Not even an hour… I guess we both needed the sleep.” A heavy silence falls between them for several moments. “Breakfast was only brought up about 15 minutes ago. I also had them bring up some extra toiletries if you’d like to wash up in the bathroom before we eat.” She turns back to face the large window of the French doors, sipping at her coffee.

“Oh, okay. Thanks.” Kara carefully pushes the blanket off of her body. She takes her time brushing her teeth and washing her face, trying to sort out the thoughts she still hasn’t gotten under her control.

Although Lena has been awake for nearly an hour, she still hasn’t figured out what exactly she wants to say to Kara. Once she has decided on one option, her mind convinces her that it may not be the best route. She hears the bathroom door open, but does not remove her eyes from the window. “I ordered you a little bit of everything.”

“It-It smells great. Thank you.” Kara sits in the other armchair.

“Aren’t you hungry?” Lena scrunches her eyebrows together, looking at Kara.

Kara shakes her head. “I want to say something before I lose my nerve.” She scoots to the edge of her seat.

“Okay,” Lena drags out the word, setting her coffee cup down on the table.

With a nervous smile, Kara shifts her chair so it’s completely facing Lena. “Um.” She looks down at her fidgeting hands. “I just want you to know that I’m sorry for how I reacted at my apartment… that day. It just… You took me by surprise. I hadn’t even… I didn’t know that… this was a possibility.” She gestures between the two of them. “That’s not a presumption by the way.” She clears her throat, shifting awkwardly on her chair. “I just… I always knew that I cared about you. A lot of people know actually. You should ask my sister about everything that happened when you got kidnapped.” She takes a deep breath.

“I shouldn’t have just laid that all out on you like that, Kara.” Kara begins to speak, but Lena raises a hand to silence her protests. “When you said…” She shakes her head. “I thought you were hinting that you knew I was talking about you. That’s my fault.”

“Can we just… stop trying to take blame? Neither of us will relent on that if we continue.”

“I can do that.”

“Okay.” Kara nods. “Um, so I tried to text and call you. I thought you were ignoring me, and it felt awful. The last time I felt that alone was when Alex and I were fighting about… when Alex and I were fighting.” She fidgets with her glasses. “I ended up getting into so many fights with, um, Mike. It took talking to my sister to realize the truth.” Her eyes drop to her hands in her lap.

Lena bites her lip, debating whether or not she should ask for further explanation. Kara takes the decision from her.

“After I almost lost you in that mountain, I guess my emotions were running really high. I had just recently turned Mike down, and then he went straight to another girl, and I got jealous. It was only recently I found out I wasn’t jealous for the reasons I thought. I wanted to be happy with someone like that. I entered a relationship with him because I thought I would be happy with him. We have a common heritage, and I thought he understood what it was like to be one of the last of your kind.” She lets out a heavy sigh. “I was happy sometimes, but… it was a lot of work. I mean… I get that all relationships are work, but that was just too much.

“He started saying some really hurtful things, and I ended it. We ended up talking and apologizing, but I didn’t want him back.” Kara looks into Lena’s eyes for a moment. “When Alex told me where you were, I just knew I had to see you. I didn’t even know what I was going to say. When you opened those doors… things just clicked, I guess.”

Silence falls on them again as Lena watches Kara. Her eyes fall to her hands. “Would you have ever told me your secret?” Her voice is a strained whisper.

“Yes.” Kara’s answer is instant.

Lena’s eyes shoot up to look at Kara. “What?”

“We had been getting closer, Lena. You’re my best friend. I told you last night that you’re only the second person I’ve told of my own choosing. The first person was Winn. A secret this large can be such a burden to hold from someone you care about. The people close to me are more likely to be in dangerous situations… whether they know the secret or not.” Kara bites her lip in thought. “I… I knew I was going to tell you, but I didn’t know when or how. It wasn’t just not knowing what your reaction would be that terrified me, but…” She stares straight into Lena’s eyes. “Your mother knows.”

“My… What?” Lena’s eyes go wide.

“She knows who I am. I don’t know how, but I didn’t want that being another thing she could use against you. I already felt responsible for the last time.”

“Kara, my mother is the only one responsible for what happened then.”

“But -”

“No. That’s in the past, Kara.”

“Right. You’re right.”

They look away from each other as the silence thickens around them. “Why did you say that?” Lena finally whispers.

“What?”

“Last night… on the balcony.”

“Oh. That.” Kara stands up and walks across the room to stand in front of the table. She presses both palms to the surface, leaning over it and taking deep breaths. Lena waits patiently. “I didn’t plan on it,” she whispers.

“What was that?”

Kara turns around and leans against the table. “To be honest, I didn’t even know I- I felt… feel that way. I spent four days trying to figure out what I was feeling. Every time I thought of you, all I felt was pain and guilt at having chased you off.” She shuffles her feet on the wood floor. “When you opened the door, and I saw you standing there… the words just slipped out.”

Lena just looks at her with a neutral expression. Suddenly, she stands and walks to the closed balcony doors. She looks out the windows with the curtains opened wide and crosses her arms over her chest. “There were so many times these past few days where I wished I could take everything I said back.” Kara stares at Lena’s back. “I thought holding onto these feelings I was harboring and being just friends with you was a challenge… You were smiling and encouraging me to admit my feelings. I really did believe you knew I was talking about you… I was wrong.” Her voice drops to a whisper by the end.

“Lena -” Pushing off the table, Kara walks to stand behind Lena.

“When you reacted the way you did, it hurt. Then you said you have a boyfriend, and I was confused.” She turns to face Kara, blinking her eyes in shock to find Kara now right in front of her. “I kept wondering why I never knew you had a boyfriend if we were supposed to be best friends.”

Kara sighs and looks down at her feet. “I’ve been asking myself why I never told you.”

“You have?” Lena’s voice is hesitantly hopeful.

When Kara looks up, there’s a shy smile gracing her lips. “I can’t say I know the answer, but I can tell you that it has nothing to do with us not being close enough.” She slowly reaches out a hand toward one of Lena’s, giving her plenty of time to reject the contact. Lena surprises her by meeting her halfway and interlacing their fingers. “I really care about you, Lena.” She squeezes Lena’s hand. “If you’d like to give that conversation a second chance, I have a feeling it will go differently this time.”

It takes a few breaths before understanding dawns on Lena. A sly smirk quirks at her lips. “Have you ever had feelings for someone, but didn’t know how they felt?”

A smile is teasing at the corners of Kara’s lips. “Yes.”

“I don’t know what to say to her, or how to find out if she’s interested.”

“Lena.” Kara takes a minute step closer. “ You are so amazing. There’s nothing not to love. Just tell her how you feel.”

“What if she doesn’t feel the same way?”

“Of course she will, Lena.” Kara squeezes her hand again. “Just practice on me.” Kara smiles reassuringly.

“Okay…” A smile slowly grows on Lena’s face as she talks. “You’re everything to me,” she says as the smile on her face gets larger, “and your smile brightens my whole day.” She lets out a sigh as her smile spreads to show her dimples. “I love you,” she breathes out as her eyes never leave Kara’s.

Kara smiles brightly. “I love you, too, Lena.”

“That’s not exactly how it went last time.” Lena chuckles. “You forgot -” Kara silences her by pressing her lips against Lena’s. Lena immediately responds to the kiss.

Pulling back all too soon, Kara grins at Lena. “Was that an okay improvisation?”

Lena hums in thought. “I think we can make it work.”

Kara’s smile falters slightly. “Can we make this work?” She uses her free hand to gesture between the two of them.

Pursing her lips, Lena thinks for a moment. “We do still have things to talk about, but I think we have bought us some time… and understanding.”

Kara nods. “We have time.”

“When you’re ready, we can talk about what was going on with Supergirl the past few days.” Her tone turns slightly chastising. “It wouldn’t do to have Supergirl going back out there without resolving everything.”

“You don’t have to listen to me about my emotions and all that.”

Lena narrows her eyes sternly and tugs at Kara’s hand. “I know I don’t have to, but caring for someone means being there for them.” She smiles at Kara. “There are no doubts in my mind that we have a great deal to talk about, but we should take a break to at least eat now that we are in a place we’re both comfortable with.” She phrases the last part almost as a question to give Kara the opportunity to disagree if need be.

Kara smiles sheepishly. “I **am** a little hungry.”

Laughing, Lena tugs Kara into a hug. “I missed you,” she whispers.

“I missed you, too.”

**Author's Note:**

> I guess I take prompts now *shrugs* 
> 
> Send them to tumblr @catarinaelibeth


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